Short rundown for a returning Maple noob?

Nope, v62 does not have Aran. We only have up to Pirates. Ariant and Leafre are both around, and I believe they are going to add Magatia soon as well.

The Pirates are both pretty bad. Corsairs are decent late game, but their early game is abysmal. On the flip side, Brawlers are decent early game, but their late game is abysmal. Clerics/Mages are the easiest path if you're a noob. I would also recommend Heroes since they don't require any HP washing and are a fairly straightforward class to play. They have decent DPS late game as well.

 

Marksmen and Bowmasters are both great classes all around. Dark Knights are an interesting case. Their DPS isn't good unless you can Berserk, but in order to Berserk, you need a lot of HP. They're the only warriors that are really worth HP washing. All of these classes you mentioned are excellent due to their party skills. Bowmasters have the best end game DPS of those 3, Marksmen following behind, and Darks are fairly mediocre even when you can Berserk.

I think all 3 are fairly easy to level up due to having good mobbing skills.

 

It all comes down to preference and how each class favors your playstyle. No class is doomed to be flatout worse than others.

 

If you ask me, now's the time to live the dream and play whatever class you wanted to in the past There's no major downside to any class such that I would recommend you to NOT play them, so just go for what you like.

 

There are no automatic AP resets. You can buy them from the cash shop but they are somewhat expensive, so you need to plan your stats from the start (dice roll time!)

 

Not a rengar main, just like the design

 

QUIT WHILE YOU STILL CAN

 

There is an guide about choosing the right class made by Kyle,

http://forum.maplelegends.com/index.php?threads/choosing-the-right-class.2682/

You will see the pro and cons of every class here.
If you want to go for spearman, go for spearman. It's a class which has one of the best endgame damage, like 4th best and if you look at the ranking you can see a spearman in the top 5.
If you want to go for pirate go for pirate, corsair also has one of the best endgame damage, like 2nd best and buccaneer has one of the best buffs, speed infusion and time leap.
If you want to go for marksman/bowmaster they are very wanted for their buff sharpeye.

All classes can be awesome so just pick whatever u like.